


Kiss with a Fist

by clubluna



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alexis | Quackity & Karl Jacobs (Video Blogging RPF), Arguing but it's flirting, Awkward Flirting, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF) - Freeform, Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF) - Freeform, Confessions, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Internal Conflict, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, Longing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love, Romantic Friendship, Secret Crush, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, complicated friendship, frenemies to lovers, i just...love them, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28445871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clubluna/pseuds/clubluna
Summary: As Dream sits there, lips still burning, he can’t help but hate Alex. Not because of their stupid rivalry or the way Alex pushes his buttons, but because Alex was fucking right. It’s not every day Dream gets to kiss a guy like Alex, and he is in shock. He’s in shock because for just a fleeting moment, he thought about what it’d be like if he did get to kiss Alex every day.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Clay | Dream
Comments: 14
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

His fingers tap on the steering wheel of the car, head bobbing slightly to the beat of the random song playing on the radio. It's relatively cold outside, so the heat is turned up in the rented car, leaving his jacket to be discarded on the seat beside him. Dream is already more than three-quarters of the way through with the drive to North Carolina, a long drive with a worthwhile end goal. 

The stay at Karl’s house has been planned for not very long but was orchestrated fairly quickly. It was a three-week-long stay in a house with all his best friends. At first, they didn’t think it would be able to work out, there was too many of them to just pick up their things and hang out away from their setups. But Karl was quick to resolve that issue, insistent that things were going to work out just fine. While the group was wary, none were opposed to the idea of tackling the issues as they arise, too excited by the idea of being together. 

Dream, especially. 

An opportunity to see George, Sapnap, and Karl? He’d be stupid to turn it down. 

Also Alex. 

Dream could feel a tug in his stomach at the reminder of the fifth boy that’d be in the house with them. They were friends...sort of. He didn’t dislike Alex, and he was sure Alex didn’t dislike him, in fact, there was a certain amount of respect the two harbored for one another that just went unspoken. The thing with Dream is he prided himself in his ability to keep his cool when put on the hot seat, but that ability was simply rendered useless when being tested by Alex. To make matters worse, Alex was also someone who wasn’t easy to get to, so to know Dream was the only one getting rattled by their back and forth bothered him deeply. 

But that was just their interactions online, who is to say Alex won’t be different in person? 

“Dweam, Dweam, Dweam,” is what Alex greets Dream with when he sees him. It’s been all of two minutes since he arrived at Karl’s house, and hugs were already exchanged between all of them. Except between Dream and Alex. Dream can’t help but sigh at the sight of Alex, his hands clasped and pressed to his cheek, eyelashes batting up at him in a mocking way. “Dweam, notice me.” 

“Quackity,” Dream greets glumly, the tug in his stomach still ever so present. He chooses to ignore it, sticking his hand out to the shorter man. 

Alex drops the charade with a smile, taking Dream’s hand and pulling him into a brief hug. “It’s nice to meet you man,” Alex tells him. 

Dream’s lips part to respond, but he’s silenced as Alex is whisked away by Karl, being led to the other side of the room. He doesn’t think much of the interruption, turning his attention to something else. 

And that was it, for the most part. Everyone was tired, and so they remained sprawled across the couches, just talking and occasionally getting up to get a drink or something. There was no worry of streaming, or tweeting, or any social media for that matter. They felt...normal. Like five boys just sitting in a room, enjoying the presence of one another. 

Or at least it did feel normal, until boredom eventually began creeping in, forcing someone to come up with something to do. 

“Chicken,” Karl begins to explain, his hands extended out in front of him for dramatic effect, “but kissing.” 

Dream’s face pales, and he glances around the room for the other reactions. There’s a burst of laughter filling the room, and he managed to force himself to join along before anybody was able to point out the absence of his reaction. Clearly, the others were amused by Karl’s supposed _funny_ suggestion, all but Dream. Of course, the straight boys found no issue kissing each other, they were secure enough to know it didn’t mean anything. But for Dream, who’d never kissed a boy and had yet to fully accept the newfound attraction he felt, kissing his friends sounded like hell. 

“I’m serious!” Karl interjects the laughter. “We always joke about kissing, so who is man enough to actually do it? Or are you all talk?” 

“I’ll do it,” Sapnap says with a chuckle. “I have no problem going first.” 

“Yeah, you would say that,” George teases. 

“Shut up, Gogy, you’d never do it,” Sapnap retorts. 

George shrugs. “Yeah, I’ll admit I won’t do it, but I also probably make the least kissing jokes out of all of us.” 

“I’ll go against you, Sapnap,” Karl says, bringing the conversation back. With a gesture of his hand, both Karl and Sapnap are standing up, facing one another. “Okay, so, let’s do it like this. Close your eyes, and inch forward. If you kiss, you both win, first to pull away loses. Ready?” 

“Nothing like a chill night with the homies,” Alex mutters sarcastically. 

Dream chooses not to respond to Alex, his eyes locked on Sapnap and Karl. Per the rules, both boys closed their eyes and inched toward each other. Dream could hear his heartbeat in his ears, heat flooding his cheeks as he was transfixed on the two. Right as their lips were about to press, Karl’s eyes fluttered open, and he was suddenly moving away after being just a breath away from Sapnap’s lips. 

Karl’s giggles fill the room when Sapnap’s eyes fly open, a look of betrayal on his face. “Sorry,” Karl manages out, his sweater covered hand clamping over his mouth. “I just—I knew you weren’t going to pull away so I wanted to see your face when I did. I couldn’t resist.” 

“Cop out,” George scoffs. 

“Yeah!” Sapnap agrees with a huff. “Just say you didn’t wanna kiss me, Karl.” 

“Not true,” Karl disagrees. “I’ll kiss you right here, right now.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah, but I won’t. Because I’m a gentleman and don’t kiss before the first date.” 

“Pussy,” Alex snorts. Dream glances over at the boy beside him, brows furrowing. “You just lost and wanted an excuse, Karl. That’s very Dream of you.” At the mention of him, Alex turns to Dream with a teasing grin, waiting to gauge his reaction at the dig. 

Dream rolls his eyes. “Why are you so obsessed with me, Quackity?” 

Alex laughs. “I’m not! You just make it so easy.” 

“Uh-huh, sure.” 

“Uh-oh,” Karl says loudly, directing all eyes back to him. “Looks like this little dispute needs to be settled with a quick game of chicken. Am I right, boys?” 

Dream’s heart drops as the two other boys give a chorus of agreement. Hesitantly, he looks to Alex for his reaction, but Alex looks just as thrown off by the request as Dream felt. On one hand, he didn’t want to kiss Alex, in fact, he can think of a handful of people he’d rather kiss than him. But on the other hand, he simply lacked the ability to turn down a chance to beat Alex in something and see that smug smile wiped off his face. 

And with that, Dream stands up from the couch and moves to the center of the room, giving his response to the request without uttering a word. Alex stares at him in disbelief while the other three boys in the room cheer loudly, throwing their arms up in celebration at Dream’s acceptance of the challenge. 

Like Dream, Alex lacked the ability to turn down a chance to challenge Dream, so he stood up as well, moving to the middle of the room to stand in front of Dream. 

“Wait!” Karl screeches, leaping off off his seat and leaving the room. He returns shortly after with a stepping ladder, placing it in front of Alex with a giggle. “Here.” 

Alex rolls his eyes. “Fuck you, Karl.” Still, he steps up the ladder, now making him eye-level with Dream. 

It’s now that Dream realizes the situation he’s gotten himself in. He’s a closeted boy in a room with his friends about to kiss the last guy he’d ever even considered kissing. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Alex, because they were friends, but nobody knew how to push his buttons quite like Alex did. And nobody enjoyed pushing him as much as Alex, as proven by just about every time they speak for more than ten minutes. But that reason is precisely why he was in this position because if anything was going to shut up Alex, it was going to be when Dream didn’t pull away in chicken and he did. Because that’s what’s going to happen, Alex _is_ going to be the one to pull away. 

A seed of doubt was planted in Dream’s stomach when Alex made direct eye contact with him, no signs of hesitation in his eyes. Dream realizes then that this is the first time he’s ever truly looked Alex in the eyes, no hair covering the brown orbs, just green staring into brown. Just as he notices, Alex’s eyes slide shut, and Dream is stunned when Alex begins to lean in. Quickly, Dream’s eyes glide shut and he slowly inches forward himself. 

Dream’s fingers twitch at his sides, his inability to sit still coming out even more with the added nerves. The room is dead silent, but he can still feel the three pairs of eyes burning into him, waiting to see the outcome of what was meant to be a harmless little game. Chills run up his spine when he feels the heat of the man in front of him, and he’s suddenly confronted with the reality that Alex hasn’t pulled away yet. 

Why hasn’t Alex pulled away yet? 

All the thoughts running through his mind came to a sudden halt at the soft feel of lips pressing to his own. His eyes stay closed, but the heat that was tickling his neck begins to consume him now. They’re kissing. The screams of his friends sound so distant despite literally surrounding him, and he can only blame that on the honey tasting lips that are pressed to his. 

He’s kissing Alex. 

Alex is kissing him. 

This is the first boy he’s ever kissed. 

Why is he still fucking kissing him? 

Dream suddenly pulls away, stumbling slightly in his haste to get away from Alex. When his eyes reopen, he sees his three friends grinning widely, their mouths moving but nothing coming out. Then he sees Alex’s eyes open, and the look of shock on his face. It quickly shifts to excitement as he throws his arms up, celebrating what he counts as a win over Dream. 

Dream falls back onto the couch, lips still burning from the barely kiss. His hands come up to his cheeks, and he doesn’t acknowledge the feel of his sweaty palms on his hot cheeks. He blinks slowly, unsure of the many feelings swirling in the pit of his stomach, all of them intertwined with one another. 

“Dream?” George’s voice tears him out of his daze, and Dream blinks rapidly to refocus. George is grinning at him, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “You okay?” 

“Leave him alone, George,” Alex interjects, and for a second, Dream is grateful for the disruption. Then Alex continues, “It’s not every day Dream kisses a stud like me, he’s probably in shock.” Laughter fills the room again, Karl going as far as high-fiving him for the comment. 

And as Dream sits there, lips still burning, he can’t help but hate Alex. Not because of their stupid rivalry or the way Alex pushes his buttons, but because Alex was fucking right. It’s not every day Dream gets to kiss a guy like Alex, and he is in shock. He’s in shock because for just a fleeting moment, he thought about what it’d be like if he _did_ get to kiss Alex every day. 


	2. Chapter 2

North Carolina is cold. 

Dream was sitting on the front steps to Karl’s house with his hood pulled over his head, the midnight breeze sending shivers down his spine. Still, he refused to go back inside, despite the muffled laughter taunting him from behind him. He mumbled something about needing to call his family before stepping out, and luckily for him, the excuse was just believable enough that nobody bothered to question him nor follow behind. 

He didn’t actually have to call his family. 

The heat in the room became too scalding hot to ignore, so much so that Dream had to physically remove himself. He knew exactly what caused it, in fact, he can hear what caused it laughing loudly in the house behind him, completely unaware of the effect he had on him. Sighing, Dream perched his elbows on his knees, holding up his hand with his freezing hands. The cold touch was cooling against his still heated cheeks, and he let his eyes flutter shut for a brief moment. 

Again, he found himself in a situation with Alex where he was the one left flustered while Alex was fine. Except things were so much more extreme. Because it wasn’t on a silly voice call where Alex makes a passing comment about him and he finds it necessary to retort, it’s real life, and the passing comment was instead a meaningless kiss that turned out to not be so meaningless. 

At least not for Dream. 

He can’t fault any of the other guys for his twist of emotions, no matter how much he wishes he could. It’s not like he confided in any of them about this newfound revelation about himself. He wanted to, he really did, but when exactly was the perfect time to gather your boys in a call and tell them, “Hey, so, I’m gay.” He had barely come to accept it himself, there had to be some time between his own acceptance and the acceptance of other people. But now, he was coming to regret that decision to space the two out because all he had now was his thoughts and shaky hands. 

Maybe it’s just a passing feeling. It was a big moment for him, something never done before. Who is to say this isn’t just the nerves making him feel something he doesn’t actually feel? Because that happens sometimes. Right? 

“Dream?” 

His eyes fly open, and he quickly turns around to see Sapnap poking his head out the door. His brows are furrowed at the sight of his friend, and just as he begins to push the door open further, Dream is standing up. Sapnap steps back in surprise, holding the door open for his friend as a silent invitation for him to come back in. Dream steps back into the house wordlessly, ignoring Sapnap’s observant eyes, completely oblivious to the mental note his friend made to check on him later. 

Nobody else seemed to notice Dream’s off behavior, George calling to him with a wide grin. “Dream, c’mere, and look at what Karl’s doing!” 

It wasn’t until the late hours of the night that things began to settle down, and when Karl led everyone to the rooms they’d be staying in, the house fell silent. In his shared bed with Sapnap, Dream lies awake, eyes watching the tiny flecks of light on the ceiling move. The low rumble of passing cars weirdly provides comfort, and Dream’s eyes squeeze shut to coax sleep into engulfing him. But his eyes snap back open at the slight movement of the man beside him, and he quickly realizes how useless his efforts are. 

Slowly, he gets out of the bed, picks up the discarded hoodie at the foot of the bed, and steps out of the room. In the dark, he navigates his way through Karl's house, careful to keep his footsteps heavy as to not alert the others in the home. It isn't until he's certain that he's breaching the living room that he pauses to pull the hoodie over his head, ruffling his hair in the process. The hood falls over his eyes for a brief moment, and Dream pushes it back with a sigh of relief, the warmth of his hoodie engulfing him. His peace is immediately disrupted when his eyes make out the figure on the couch, Alex's face barely illuminated by the light of his phone as he watches Dream with mild amusement. 

"Can't sleep?" Alex asks lowly, breaking the silence.

Dream pauses to swallow the lump in his throat, thankful for the darkness that hid the bob of his Adam's apple. "No," he responds simply. Instinctively, his hands go to his hoodie pocket where he left his keys, and his heart jumps at the slight jingle the metal gives. His fingers curl around them, pulling them out of his pocket slowly like he was unveiling something important. H

Alex's eyes flick down to the object, head tilting slightly. "Going for a late-night drive?"

Dream nods. There's a beat of silence before Alex's eyes dart back down to his phone, his attention shifting away from Dream. Dream's hand clenches around the keys, a silent way of reminding himself why he was out there in the first place and to not let Alex's presence disrupt that. But he can't help but feel awkward just walking past him and out the front door, so quietly, he asks, "Wanna come with?"

Alex's head lifts, brows furrowing slightly, not expecting the abrupt invitation. Dream didn't either, shifting his weight from one leg to another as the discomfort of the situation bites back at him, yet he says nothing. Alex mulls over the invitation for a moment, and just as Dream became hopeful that he would decline, Alex stood from the couch.

"Sure," Alex says, tugging his hood over his head. "Let's go."

Alex leads the way, leaving the door parted for Dream to follow. Dream stares at his fleeting figure with regret, eyes sliding shut for just a brief moment as he curses under his breath. Slowly, he leaves the living room and exits the house, shutting the door gently behind him. His eyes land on Alex, who is standing at the bottom of the steps with his hands tucked into pockets, waiting for Dream's arrival. It almost bothered Dream how nonchalant Alex was being about it. After all, he was extending the invitation out of pure politeness, he didn't actually expect the company. In fact, the company may be the last thing he needs considering the drive was meant to be to get his thoughts together about the very man joining him. Somehow, he doubts being trapped in a tight space will aid with the racing thoughts. Besides, they weren't even close friends, so why did Alex agree anyway?

Dream steps past Alex with his keys in hand and the gentle smack of Alex's sneakers against the sidewalk can be heard behind him. When he reaches his car, he clicks the alarm, immediately cringing at the loud beep sound that goes off. Neither of the two addresses it, getting into the car in silence. When the engine roars to life, as does the radio, blaring a song that Dream doesn't recognize. 

"My bad," Dream mutters, lowering the dial significantly.

"I like this song," Alex comments lowly. Dream looks over at him when he begins to hum along to the song, finger tapping against his thigh in perfect rhythm. When Alex's head turns even the slightest bit in his direction, Dream's head is snapping back forward, hands holding the steering wheel with a vice grip as he pulls out of his parking spot and onto the road. Alex is still humming along to the song, completely oblivious to the growing nerves of the boy in the drivers' seat.

When the song finally comes to an end, and a commercial runs, Alex turns to Dream. "Are we just randomly driving around?"

Dream nods slightly. "Mhm."

"Okay." There's a beat of silence. "Can I ask you something then?"

Dream wants to answer no, but he knows he shouldn't. "Mhm."

"Can we get food? I'm kinda starving."

Dream exhales lowly, his tensed shoulders lowering. "Yeah..."

The car is quiet. Not completely, as the late-night radio commercials can be heard, and the occasional car will pass with a rumble of their engine as they drive. Not that Dream could hear it, because all his ears are honing in on are the low humming coming from Alex. From his peripherals, he could see Alex's gaze is outside of the window, head-bopping slightly the tune in his head, not paying any mind to Dream. This is what he wanted, a quiet car ride between the two of them, but now that he's got it, he can't help but want their silence to be filled with anything but this. He wanted to convince himself that the feelings he felt were passing, that they wouldn't linger any longer than he wanted them to, that he had a grasp of his emotions. Maybe even have them forced away by something Alex does that annoys him. But instead, he finds himself enjoying the low humming Alex is producing, enjoying it more than he would any of the actual songs on the radio.

When they roll up to a red light, Dream can't help but steal a glance at Alex. His eyes are still focused outside of the window, leaving Dream with a view of his side profile, something that Dream never really took the time to look at before. He was...good looking. He knew that much. Dream wasn't really someone to value appearances, not that much, anyway. But even so, he'd be stupid not to notice that Alex was easy on the eyes. 

"So, Dream," Alex begins, and Dream is quick to turn his head forward. The light switches to green, and the car jolts forward as Dream steps a little too hard on the gas, catching them both off guard. He can hear Alex curse under his breath, and from his peripheral, he sees him lean down. When Alex straightens up, he's holding something in his hand. "I have another question," Alex tells him. 

"Okay," Dream responds.

There's a pause, and when Dream steals a glance at Alex, he immediately regrets it. The something in his hand was a tube of chapstick, and Dream could just make out the letters H, O, and N between Alex's fingers as he applies the chapstick to his lips. Dream quickly looks away once he realizes, hoping the darkness hid the redness of his cheeks. 

"You don't have to answer if you don't wanna," Alex prefaces, tucking the chapstick back into his pocket where it slipped out of. "But I wanted to know if you're, like, okay? Like, I know it's our first time meeting, and we aren't the closest of friends, so the whole chicken thing must have been weird for you, right?"

Dream's brows furrow. "For me?" He glances at Alex. "Why just for me?"

Alex shrugs his shoulders. "I dunno, I guess I don't really get riled up by stuff like that, I mean, it's just fun and games. But I don't know if you do..."

Dream blinks slowly, the embarrassment eating him from the inside. "I don't," he lies, fingers tightening around the steering wheel. "And I'm fine, thanks for asking."

The animosity in his voice is obvious, but Alex doesn't acknowledge it. "Cool," he responds, his attention shifting away from Dream and back to the scenery outside the window. Before the silence could turn tense, humming fills the car, along with the gentle tap of a finger against a thigh. Dream attempts to swallow the lump in his throat, but fails, and instead straightens up, shoulders rising once more. Alex's humming continues until they make it back to Karl's house, and doesn't stop until they're entering the front door.

Dream's brows furrow when he steps in, remembering something. "We didn't get food," he mumbles, turning to Alex.

Alex shrugs, "Maybe next time?" Alex doesn't give him a chance to respond before he steps further into the living room, approaching the stairs. "Night, Dream."

"Night, Quackity," he whispers, watching as Alex leaves. The gentle shut of a door is heard, and Dream's shoulders drop, his head falling back to look at the ceiling.

His feet carry him to the couch until he’s able to fall back on it, head turned up to look at the ceiling. For the first time that night, he lets his thoughts consume him rather than fighting them.

He spent so long telling himself that what he felt was fine, that he wasn’t the only guy out there struggling to come to terms with what his sexuality was. And he listened to himself, he really did. But something about having those feelings directed at someone like Alex was making him want to ignore every single piece of advice he’s ever heard. It’s like the wall that got torn down from around his heart was being put back up, and Alex was the one who picked up the first brick.

And yet, part of him doesn’t mind the feelings that much. He knew his sexuality, but it’s a whole new ballpark to actually feel the emotions you’ve been hiding outwardly. Even if it was just a passing thing that came as a result of being kissed for the first time in forever, he can’t deny it was nice to feel the rush of a budding crush again. It felt like grade school again, all that was missing was the debacle about who had the better crayon set.

Dream exhales a laugh at the thought of it, feeling himself relaxing with each passing second.It takes him a moment, but he finally musters the energy to trudge his way back to his shared room. He slowly pushes the door open, careful not to disturb Sapnap, whose back is turned to him. His hoodie is discarded, and his shoes are kicked off into the corner before he sinks down into the bed beside his sleeping friend. 

"You okay?" Sapnap's sleep laced voice whispers into the darkness.

Dream doesn't give himself time to mull it over, responding, "Yeah."

There's movement on the side of the bed and when Dream turns his head, he sees Sapnap is facing him now. The light peaking through the curtains is just enough for him to make out Sapnap's open eyes, his brows pulled together ever so slightly.

"You sure?" Sapnap asks.

Dream hesitates this time, lips pulling down into a frown. Then he sighs, responding, "I'm sure." He wasn't ready to talk about it yet, he decided. 

Sapnap eyes him for another moment before rolling over, facing away from him once more and the room is silent again, Sapnap slipping back into the peaceful slumber Dream unintentionally disturbed easily. Rolling onto his side away from Sapnap, Dream lets his eyes glide shut, willing to sleep to take over. But not before thinking one last time about the honey chapstick, and the boy who used it.


	3. Chapter 3

Breakfast is incredibly overrated.

Or so that’s what Dream decided when he was woken up by an overly eager pair of boys by the name of Karl and George. When he woke up this morning to the two pairs of feet jumping on his bed, his immediate reaction was to swipe at their feet. Which turned out to be a mistake as that just sent them tumbling down onto him and his bedmate, creating an impromptu dogpile. There have been nicer wake-up calls in his life, believe it or not.

“This is your fault!” Karl yelps out when Dream attempts to push his body off the bed. All it does is shift Karl until he’s completely on top of Dream, hugging him to the bed. “We just wanted to jump on your bed, but you wanted a cuddle.”

“I did not,” Dream whined, turning his head to angle away from Karl’s face.

Now turned to the door, he can see the figure stood there. Alex was still in the hoodie he wore last night, the hood pulled over his head that lacked a beanie. His droopy eyes are proof enough that he’s freshly awake, a tired smile resting on his lips. He’s leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest taking in the scene happening in the bedroom. His eyes flicker over and lock with Dream’s, and his smile tugs up just the slightest bit more.

“Alex!” Their eye contact is broken by Karl’s voice, Alex turning to lock eyes with him instead. It’s then that Dream notices that Karl is no longer on top of him, instead of working on maneuvering himself back onto his feet. “We’re going out for breakfast, go get ready.”

Without another glance at Dream, Alex is leaving the room to return to his own. It isn’t long after that Karl and George exit as well, leaving just Sapnap and Dream in the room. Sapnap is already getting out of the bed when Dream sinks further into his pillow, eyes sliding shut as he exhales a sigh.

A poke at his side causes his eyes to open back up. Sapnap’s brows are furrowed, hand running through his hair to flatten the ruffled locks. “You okay?”

That question alone transports Dream back to last night, and again, he feels the urge to lie in response. Unsure of whether the tightness in his chest was caused by the dogpile or the hoodie-clad boy who hung at the doorframe, Dream responds, “Yeah.”

* * *

Dream’s hood is pulled over his head, head slumped against his hand as he wages a war against the sleepiness that drags his eyelids close every minute or so. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was smushed against the wall in their booth seat, he has no doubts that sleep would have won the battle long, long ago. But it seems Sapnap has made it his overall mission to make sure Dream remained awake, jabbing an elbow into his side every time his eyes begin to flutter.

“Stop,” Dream huffs when the elbow meets his side again, tilting his head just to throw a glare in Sapnap’s direction.

Sapnap rolls his eyes. “If I can’t sleep, neither can you.” Dream regards him with a scoff but keeps his eyes open as he turns forward. “Besides, it's your own fault you’re so tired, you came to bed so late.”

At that, Dream let his eyes slide shut again. Not because of tiredness, but just so he wouldn’t accidentally lock eyes with the boy across from him. Alex was in conversation with Karl and George, not at all noticing Sapnap’s comment, but Dream wanted to be careful.

Last night’s drive still lingered in his mind, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. Each and every time there was a moment where he thought he stopped thinking about it, he can hear Alex’s low humming to the song on the radio and immediately be reminded of the night all over again. It was exhausting. All he wanted was to have a mind clear of Alex and their late-night drive, was that too much to ask for?

Dream’s eyes snap open when a foot knocks against his, and he’s surprised to see all eyes turned to him. He blinks rapidly to refocus, before finally taking notice of the woman at the head of the table, a small notebook in her hand as she watched him with mild amusement. Right, they’re still at a restaurant. He rattled off his order quickly, eager for the interaction to end and as soon as her back was turned, he exhaled a sigh. The rest of the boys bursted into fits of giggles at his blunder, not even waiting for the woman to be out of earshot. He slinks back into his hoodie with a huff, avoiding their eyes.

“Dream,” Karl manages out between giggles, the smile on his face unmoving. “What is up with you? Did you not sleep last night?”

Dream lifts his head just enough to catch a glimpse of Karl but choosing not to respond right away. From the corner of his eye, he can make out Alex fiddling with the handles of the syrups, not lifting his head to acknowledge Karl’s question. For the most part, it seemed they were both on the same page of keeping things hushed about the drive, which relieved Dream more than he cared to admit.

“I’m fine,” Dream finally responds after a brief moment of silence. “So what’d you guys order? I zoned out.”

The topic was accepted easily, luckily enough for him. It quickly descended into a debate between George and Karl about the best breakfast food, a topic Dream wasn’t all that interested in. He can feel his eyes sliding back shut as he tones out their back and forth. But just as lashes touch his cheeks, a foot is nudging at his ankle, making his eyes reopen.

Dream’s eyes flit up to the man across from him, and he can’t help but frown at the lack of eye contact made. Brushing the touch off as an accident, he brings his feet back slightly, the heels almost touching the booth, and slumps back into his hand. He briefly makes out Karl’s point he makes about waffles before toning them out once more. Again, his eyes begin to flutter shut, only to reopen at the nudge of his foot.

Alex is actively partaking in their conversation, his hands extended out in front of him to better explain himself. Like Dream, his hood is pulled over his head, a beanie secured on his head hiding dark locks beneath it, and his face colored to show he’s much more awake than the boy across from him. Awake enough that he’s able to maintain his composure and partake in the discussion taking place while also nudging Dream’s foot with his own. There’s no doubting it’s Alex’s foot that's bumping with Dream’s, whether it's purposeful or not is the mystery.

Dream doesn’t let his eyes flutter a third time, his racing heart scaring the sleepiness away permanently. Instead, he twists his body slightly to make himself feel more involved, despite still not giving an input like the others. Still, the foot nudges his, and when he looks to Alex, he isn’t speaking anymore but a smile remains on his lips. Dream narrows his eyes at him, and with uncertainty, he nudges his foot right back. His nudge doesn’t earn a reaction in Alex’s face, but his nudge is returned instantaneously, confirming the first two were in fact intentional.

He’s unsure of what to do with this information. On one hand, what were they doing? They’re in an iHop, nudging feet beneath the table while there's a heated debate going on about breakfast foods and pretending like all is normal. But on the other hand, it was comforting. For some reason, the small nudges of their feet felt like they were back in the car again. Like it was a nudge to say, you’re here, I’m here, nothing has changed. And Dream found that too endearing to turn down.

So he returns the nudge again, shifting again so the movement of their feet isn’t as noticeable to the others. The hood over his head hides the pink that's lapping at his cheeks, and he slumps against his hand as he listens to the others talking. The argument he took no part in is still happening, unsurprisingly, but upon his shift, attention is directed to him. George is the first to acknowledge his movement, his eyebrows rising in mock surprise, while his lips part to portray surprise.

"Dream paying attention to us? Wow." George exclaims sarcastically.

Dream rolls his eyes. "Shut up, I was paying attention."

"Oh yeah?" Dream turns to Alex when he speaks, the bright smile on Alex's face alluding to nothing good. "Then what did I order? If you were paying attention you'd know." Dream doesn't open his mouth to respond, the foot nudging against his own rendering him silent. "Let me guess," Alex continues, "You think I got the Mexican pancakes?" Dream doesn't join in on the laughter that immits from the rest of the table, his cheeks flaming beneath his hood as he glares daggers at Alex. Alex's smile doesn't falter, leaning over slightly to nudge Karl as they laugh together.

What bothers Dream most isn't the comment, no, in fact, that's probably what bothers him the least because it's something he's grown to be familiar with by now. If there was one thing he was used to with Alex, it was the stupid comments he made in an attempt to frame one of his friends. What he wasn't familiar with was the swirl of emotions in the pit of his stomach all coming from the nudge of a foot. Like he could hear Dream's thoughts, Alex delivered another nudge, this one different than the others. Dream moves at this one, causing him to bump into one of the displays at the table. It topples over loudly, and Alex is quick to pull his sleeve over his hand and bring his palm to his mouth, stifling a laugh as Dream turns bright red.

He regards the boys with a forced smile. "I'm just really sleepy," he reassures them, an explanation they accept without any questions asked. As soon as they turn away, Dream is back to looking at Alex, who is already looking at him. His hand still covers his mouth, but the way his eyes got squinty is enough to know the smile that hides beneath the sweater. As per usual, knowing Alex is the one with the upper hand, Dream has no choice but to make his rebuttal, delivering a kick to Alex's foot, opposed to the usual nudge they've been exchanging. Alex straightens up immediately, bumping shoulders with Karl in the process. His eyes squeeze shut for a brief moment, and Dream revels in the loss of Alex's smile as he winces in pain.

"Alex, you okay?" Karl asks, gently grabbing Alex's elbow.

Alex nods quickly, eyes reopening to look at Karl. "Mhm. Just bumped my foot against something." His eyes flit back over to Dream, a smirk tugging at his lips, and his eyes bright with mischief. Their lock of eyes wasn't just that, but rather a declaration. Fists have been drawn, and it's time to continue their game of whoever pulls away first, loses.

* * *

Dream is the second through the door to Karl's house, hands tucked into his pockets and head ducked down. Karl is talking about a later stream plan for the group of them, George and Sapnap giving their two cents every once in a while. Any other time, Dream would have been eager to participate in the topic, wanting to coordinate with his friends for their audience. But the sleep he was missing was quickly catching up to him, and his droopy eyes were fighting a winning battle. "I'm gonna take a nap," he mumbles lowly, and when he gets a farewell from Karl, he takes his leave. 

Discarded his shoes at the foot of his bed, he doesn't bother tugging off his hoodie before throwing himself down onto the bed face first. He exhales a heavy breath, the hot air wafting back into his face. His eyes are quick to shut, and he welcomes the warmth of the bedsheets as he slowly slips into slumber. Or at least, he almost did. When the bed sinks down beside him, he jolts, clearly missing the footsteps of whoever walked into the room behind him. Lifting his head just enough to see who the person is, he drops it back down with a huff when he sees Sapnap staring back at him.

"What?" He asks, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"You can talk to me about anything, you know." The seriousness in Sapnap's voice catches Dream off-guard, but he can't find the energy to lift his head once more. Sapnap takes his lack of a response as an okay to continue, sighing quietly. "And I mean anything, Dream. We're best friends, I'm not going to judge you." There's a beat of silence. "So whenever you wanna tell me what happened in that drive you and Quackity took, I'll listen." 

Dream can feel his heart stop, but he still doesn't lift his head. Sapnap waits for some sort of reaction, even a smidge of movement from Dream, but when he gets none, he gets up from the bed and leaves the room in silence. When the soft click of the door closing is heard Dream finally moves, rolling onto his side to see the empty wall ahead of him. Again, sleep beckons him, and his eyes slide shut. The sound of laughter and chatter is faint, barely audible even, but Dream could just make out the sound of one person. And as the darkness that comes with sleep begins to consume him, he hears a soft humming in his mind that lulls him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for such a positive reception! I loved reading all the comments, it's super encouraging haha  
> updates may be sparse because I am a college student so I'm a busy gal, but I appreciate the patience!!


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